6 Mistakes you should avoid in your Tech Leadership career
Learn to look back to see what you did right and wrong
I have been a manager for more than 20 years at technology companies, and I have been lucky enough to make all those mistakes that should not be made as a manager. I say lucky because, thanks to that, I have learned things that are not taught or studied, like getting up every day and overcoming problems in our professional and personal lives. I always like to recite this phrase out loud: “I’m a lucky man. Nothing in my life has been easy.” Not only because it makes me feel lucky but because it is what I think.
I have had the opportunity to hire over 100 developers, create a team from scratch and take it to the point of having more than 60 people in charge. I’ve been corporate CTO and CTO for startups. I feel grateful for everything I’ve experienced, and I can look back with a lot of pride and realism to see what I did right and wrong.
Throughout these years, I have made many mistakes, and I would like to share these six ones that I hope you don’t make so you can learn from them without suffering the consequences I’ve suffered.
Confusing loyalty to your company with your training
When you start in a management position, your loyalty to the company can play a dangerous trick, thinking that the company only needs you to do your job and work your ass off. However, your job is not only to do your job but also to train and keep learning. This way, you can do your job more effectively and be more valuable to the company and yourself.
So, don’t confuse loyalty to a project with your learning pause. You are not unfaithful because you are still hungry to learn and research. My advice is obvious, NEVER STOP LEARNING.
Treat your team as if they were your children
“My children are perfect, and they do what they can; nobody messes with them.”
When you have a child, being objective about what they do is difficult. Everything is always or almost always right, and if someone says they are doing something wrong, your reaction is always defensive and in denial.
As a manager and leader, this should not be your reaction when someone comments on your team. Your reaction should be to listen, analyze and act accordingly. In professional life, especially in a management role, we cannot think of everything as black and white, and we always have to question our own decisions. Therefore, how can you not question your team’s actions?
Believing that what you are going through is very difficult and no one understands you
Many managers out there feel like you and want to find someone like you to talk to and share experiences with. Look for those forums, those communities, and don’t stop until you have something that takes away that feeling.
This will help you gain a global vision, cut childish behaviours from the root, and avoid confrontations between departments or with your superiors.
You will always find someone who has walked the same path you are walking. Don’t let that irrational fear, like impostor syndrome, dominate you and prevent you from acting with your ideas and thoughts.
Being such a hypocrite that you think everyone else is clueless
“My team and I can develop a Facebook or WhatsApp app in-house in a week. Here we do it ourselves and don’t use anything from third parties.”
This is a bad practice within the tech sector. We think we can do everything better than everyone else and spend little time researching what others are doing that might help us.
Let’s start by having our house in order and then ask our neighbour why their house is so messy. Let’s not think we are the smartest and the only one who sees the best path.
Thinking that other divisions are doing everything wrong
“We are the only ones keeping this ship afloat; without us, this company would sink.”
My dear, without customers, there are no invoices; without customers, a seven-star hotel is worthless. Without customers, there is no money; without money, there is no payroll; without money, there are no developers to develop any technological tool. If we believe or think that other divisions are not doing what they should, let’s think about how to help them. Let’s think about how with technology, we can solve real problems in their lives that can positively influence the company — to achieve more cohesive teams and to ensure that repetitive work is done by a machine and not by a specific person.
Delaying or not giving importance to the One-on-One with your team
You are always tempted to do this. The dynamics of work and everyday life push us to have less time for our tasks. One-on-ones should never be an option we can delay or cut to dedicate ourselves to other tasks.
For some team members, it may not be as valuable as you think, but for most, it is a crucial moment where they can talk to their manager and discuss issues forgotten or postponed in everyday life. Giving importance, space, and value to the one-on-one is a must for any manager who wants their team to be motivated and aligned with the company’s purpose and the projects carried out.
All this mentality based on Never Stop Learning has led me to be one of the ten students who participated in the first Ignite Mentoring Program led by Alvaro Moya and his Lidr team. It has been a great experience where I could strengthen myself, learn knowledge, and share experiences to be a better Lidr in my professional life and a better person in my personal life.
